Americans United - ten commandamentshttp://www.au.org/tags/ten-commandaments
enOur Top Stories: Ten Prominent Church-State Flaps From 2015 http://www.au.org/blogs/wall-of-separation/our-top-stories-ten-prominent-church-state-flaps-from-2015
<a href="/about/people/rob-boston">Rob Boston</a><div class="field field-name-field-blog-type field-type-taxonomy-term-reference field-label-hidden"><div class="field-items"><div class="field-item even"><a href="/blogs/wall-of-separation">Wall of Separation</a></div></div></div><div class="field field-name-field-callout field-type-text-long field-label-hidden"><div class="field-items"><div class="field-item even">Here&#039;s a list of the top church-state stories from 2015. </div></div></div><div class="field field-name-body field-type-text-with-summary field-label-hidden"><div class="prose"><p>As 2015 winds down, you’ll encounter a lot of lists – best movies of the year, what’s hot and what’s not and so on. Well, here’s our version of that: a list of what we at “The Wall of Separation” consider to be the Top Ten church-state stories of 2015:</p><p><em>The U.S. Supreme Court upholds marriage equality; Religious Right backlash is swift and severe. </em>A 5-4 vote by the Supreme Court in June extended marriage equality nationwide. Although nothing in the decision requires houses of worship to perform or even acknowledge such unions, Religious Right groups <a href="https://www.au.org/church-state/september-2015-church-state/featured/mad-men">went ballistic</a>. The ruling in <em><a href="https://www.oyez.org/cases/2014/14-556">Obergefell v. Hodges</a></em> also led to a round of “refusal” cases – government officials (such as county clerk Kim Davis in Kentucky) and business owners insisting that they have a religious-freedom right to refuse service to LGBT people. In response, Americans United launched a new project, <a href="http://www.protectthyneighbor.org/">Protect Thy Neighbor</a>, to assist people whose rights have been denied on religious grounds.</p><p><em>Republican presidential hopefuls play to the Religious Right. </em>GOP presidential front-runner Donald Trump unleashed a variety of proposals that would likely violate the First Amendment, including suggestions to shut down mosques and <a href="https://www.au.org/blogs/wall-of-separation/it-can-happen-here-trump-call-for-excluding-muslims-from-us-has-disturbing">bar Muslims from traveling</a> to the United States. Trump and other Republican hopefuls attempted to placate the Religious Right by making proposals that many observers consider extreme. U.S. Sen. Marco Rubio (R-Fla.) vowed to <a href="http://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/marco-rubio-meet-the-press-marriage_566d9098e4b0fccee16ee695">overturn marriage equality</a> and U.S. Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Texas) said only <a href="https://www.au.org/blogs/wall-of-separation/on-your-knees-cruz-insists-that-good-leaders-need-god">people of faith</a> should serve as president. Retired neurosurgeon Ben Carson attacked the teaching of evolution in public schools. Religious issues roiled the race as candidates attempted to appeal to an increasingly far-right party base.</p><p><em>Fallout from the Supreme Court’s 2014 ruling on legislative prayers accelerates. </em>Communities nationwide grappled with how to implement a 2014 Supreme Court decision permitting local governments to open their meetings with prayers. The high court’s ruling called for diversity, but in some communities, officials attempted to bar Muslims, atheists and others. Americans United <a href="https://www.au.org/church-state/september-2015-church-state/featured/atheists-excluded">filed a lawsuit</a> in Brevard County, Fla., on behalf of a humanist group that wants to give an invocation. In Coolidge, Ariz., AU attorneys persuaded the city council to drop a blatantly <a href="https://www.au.org/church-state/november-2015-church-state/featured/christians-only-prayer">discriminatory policy</a> that allowed only Christians to deliver opening prayers.</p><p><em>Courts issue a mixed bag of rulings on school vouchers. </em>The North Carolina Supreme Court <a href="http://www.wral.com/nc-supreme-court-says-vouchers-are-constitutional/14791349/">upheld that state’s voucher plan</a>, even though most of the money goes to private religious schools. But the Colorado Supreme Court <a href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/local/education/colorado-supreme-court-strikes-down-school-voucher-program/2015/06/29/a382768e-1e75-11e5-bf41-c23f5d3face1_story.html">invalidated a plan</a> in Douglas County. In Nevada, legislators passed a wide-reaching, statewide voucher plan. Americans United and the American Civil Liberties Union are <a href="https://www.au.org/church-state/october-2015-church-state/people-events/americans-united-joins-lawsuit-challenging">challenging it in court</a>. (In a non-courtroom victory, an attempt to add a sweeping voucher program to a new federal education bill <a href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/local/education/in-the-senate-another-defeat-for-school-vouchers/2015/07/14/b979b49c-2a47-11e5-a250-42bd812efc09_story.html">failed.</a>)</p><p><em>Ten Commandments monument is removed from Oklahoma Capitol grounds. </em>The Oklahoma Supreme Court ruled that a Ten Commandments monument on the grounds of the state Capitol violated the state constitution and must be removed. State lawmakers grumbled about the matter and have threatened to alter the constitution, but the monument <a href="http://bigstory.ap.org/article/b6e5b41255a944e480a33e1330d2a95e/security-increased-around-oklahoma-ten-commandments">was removed</a> and taken to private property. (The case was brought by the American Civil Liberties Union, and the lead plaintiff was Bruce Prescott, a former member of the American United Board of Trustees.)</p><p><em>‘Ark Park’ flap in Kentucky goes to court: </em>Creationist Ken Ham of Answers in Genesis filed a federal lawsuit demanding that a fundamentalist-oriented theme park based on the biblical story of Noah’s Ark receive a package of tax breaks and financial incentives from the state. Americans United sought to intervene in the lawsuit on behalf of taxpayers. Although the court <a href="https://www.au.org/church-state/december-2015-church-state/people-events/au-s-efforts-to-intervene-in-ark-park-case">didn’t allow this</a>, it did permit AU to file a brief in the <em>Ark Encounter v. Stewart</em> case.</p><p><em>Efforts to portray crosses as war memorials fail. </em>Controversy arose in the small city of Knoxville, Iowa, after Americans United told officials there to <a href="https://www.au.org/blogs/wall-of-separation/park-proposal-iowa-town-needs-a-memorial-for-all-of-its-veterans">remove a cross</a> from a public park. The cross had been erected without permission and was allegedly a war memorial. The issue dragged on for months before the city council voted to remove the sectarian symbol. A secular monument was subsequently erected. In a separate story, <a href="http://www.latimes.com/local/lanow/la-me-ln-cross-sold-20150720-story.html">long-running litigation</a> over a towering cross atop a mountain near San Diego came to a close when the land was sold to a private group. Although the cross was originally erected for clearly religious purposes, supporters later claimed it was a war memorial.</p><p><em>Police departments nationwide place “In God We Trust” signs on patrol cars. </em>A fad took hold of police and sheriff’s departments posting “In God We Trust” signs on patrol cars. It’s hard to determine where the trend started, but it had <a href="https://www.au.org/church-state/october-2015-church-state/people-events/in-god-we-trust-stickers-appearing-on-police">spread to several states</a> by the end of the year. Critics said the signs give the impression that religious people are more important to law enforcement than non-religious ones. Defenders said it’s not a big deal since “In God We Trust” is the national motto.</p><p><em>Creationism controversies continue to plague public schools: </em>Christian fundamentalists continued their efforts to water down the teaching of evolution in public schools. In Maine, a state education official <a href="https://www.au.org/church-state/december-2015-church-state/people-events/maine-education-official-under-fire-for-past">was criticized</a> for promoting creationism. Activist Zack Kopplin <a href="https://www.au.org/church-state/julyaugust-2015-church-state/au-bulletin/activist-says-la-public-schools-teach">found evidence</a> of creationism in many Louisiana public schools. A federal court rejected <a href="https://www.au.org/blogs/wall-of-separation/extinction-event-court-tosses-strange-legal-complaint-against-evolution-in">a strange lawsuit</a> that attempted to ban the teaching of evolution in West Virginia public schools. In Glendive, Mont., officials at a public school <a href="https://www.au.org/church-state/julyaugust-2015-church-state/people-events/montana-school-cancels-field-trip-to">called off plans</a> to take third-graders to a local creationist attraction after Americans United wrote a letter of complaint. School officials cancelled the trip but made it clear they weren’t happy about it. Americans United said the incident, and others like it, are proof that anti-evolution forces have not given up, despite a string of courtroom loses.</p><p><em>The Supreme Court rules on two religious-liberty cases. </em>The U.S. Supreme Court ruled unanimously in two cases concerning individual religious-freedom claims. One case involved a <a href="https://www.au.org/church-state/may-2014-church-state/featured/the-prisoners-dilemma">prisoner in Arkansas</a> who wanted to wear a short beard for religious reasons. The other concerned a <a href="https://www.au.org/church-state/julyaugust-2015-church-state/people-events/supreme-court-rules-in-favor-of-muslim-in">Muslim woman</a> who was denied a job in an Abercrombie &amp; Fitch store because she wore a headscarf. Americans United pointed out that both of these situations involved religious liberty claims that affected individuals only and that they didn’t infringe on the rights of others.</p><p>P.S. “The Wall of Separation” will be on hiatus until Jan. 4. Happy New Year!</p><p> </p></div></div><div class="tags clearfix"><div class="field-label">Issues:&nbsp;</div><div class="field-items"><span class="field-item"><a href="/issues/creationism-evolution">Creationism &amp; Evolution</a></span>, <span class="field-item"><a href="/issues/vouchers">Vouchers</a></span>, <span class="field-item"><a href="/issues/prayer-at-government-events-and-legislative-meetings">Prayer at Government Events and Legislative Meetings</a></span>, <span class="field-item"><a href="/issues/government-sponsored-religious-displays">Government-Sponsored Religious Displays</a></span>, <span class="field-item"><a href="/issues/religious-mottos-pledges-and-resolutions">Religious Mottos, Pledges and Resolutions</a></span>, <span class="field-item"><a href="/issues/workplace-discrimination-exemptions-religious-practice">Discrimination, Exemptions &amp; Religious Practice in the Workplace</a></span>, <span class="field-item"><a href="/issues/religious-refusals-and-rfra">Religious Refusals and RFRA</a></span>, <span class="field-item"><a href="/issues/religious-groups-involvement-in-candidate-elections">Religious Groups’ Involvement in Candidate Elections</a></span>, <span class="field-item"><a href="/issues/marriage">Marriage</a></span></div></div><div class="tags clearfix"><div class="field-label">Tags:&nbsp;</div><div class="field-items"><span class="field-item"><a href="/tags/creationism">creationism</a></span>, <span class="field-item"><a href="/tags/ark-park">Ark Park</a></span>, <span class="field-item"><a href="/tags/vouchers">vouchers</a></span>, <span class="field-item"><a href="/tags/ten-commandaments">ten commandaments</a></span>, <span class="field-item"><a href="/tags/same-sex-marriage">same-sex marriage</a></span>, <span class="field-item"><a href="/tags/ken-ham">Ken Ham</a></span>, <span class="field-item"><a href="/tags/god-we-trust">in god we trust</a></span>, <span class="field-item"><a href="/tags/crosses">crosses</a></span>, <span class="field-item"><a href="/tags/donald-trump">Donald Trump</a></span>, <span class="field-item"><a href="/tags/marco-rubio">Marco Rubio</a></span>, <span class="field-item"><a href="/tags/ted-cruz">Ted Cruz</a></span></div></div>Thu, 31 Dec 2015 14:52:53 +0000Rob Boston11623 at http://www.au.orghttp://www.au.org/blogs/wall-of-separation/our-top-stories-ten-prominent-church-state-flaps-from-2015#commentsAttack Of The 'Commandments Warriors': Teague League Seeks To Scale Church-State Wall In Tennessee http://www.au.org/blogs/wall-of-separation/attack-of-the-commandments-warriors-teague-league-seeks-to-scale-church
<a href="/users/stern">Ilana Stern</a><div class="field field-name-field-blog-type field-type-taxonomy-term-reference field-label-hidden"><div class="field-items"><div class="field-item even"><a href="/blogs/wall-of-separation">Wall of Separation</a></div></div></div><div class="field field-name-field-callout field-type-text-long field-label-hidden"><div class="field-items"><div class="field-item even">Teague and the &quot;Ten Commandments Warriors,&quot; as his supporters call themselves, celebrated the unveiling with a prayer walk and a gathering on the lawn of the courthouse.</div></div></div><div class="field field-name-body field-type-text-with-summary field-label-hidden"><div class="prose"><p class="MsoNormal">Just about six months ago, my colleague <a href="../2009/02/23/walk-to-nowhere-tenn-man-off-track-with-ten-commandments-trek/">Sandhya Bathija posted</a> about one man's trek from Mountain City, Tenn., to the nation's capital. Walking through the rain and snow with the hopes of convincing national lawmakers to "keep the Ten Commandments in our public buildings<a href="http://www.mgwashington.com/index.php/news/article/tennessee-man-walks-to-d.c.-for-ten-commandments/2621/">," Scott Teague arrived in Washington, D.C.</a>, on March 4. </p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Teague, a funeral director and former Marine, was furious that the Johnson County Commission, in response to a <a href="http://www.au.org/media/press-releases/archives/2009/09/10c.pdf">letter from Americans United</a>, had ordered a display of the Ten Commandments removed from its place in the local courthouse, where it had been hanging alone between the offices of the mayor and the county clerk. </p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Teague told the media the Commandments are the "historical foundation of American law" and must be adopted by all nations to avoid becoming a "heathen world." He said America is suffering "moral decay and economic crisis" because we aren't honoring the Commandments. He wants to rally "righteous people" on behalf of the Decalogue so we don't get slammed by God like Sodom and Gomorrah.</p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Sixteen days after leaving his home, Teague stood on the steps of the U.S. Capitol. The whole thing was rather anti-climactic as he joined a few supporters in prayer via a radio interview, prior to a couple of quick meetings with legislators and a flight back to his home. A few days later, the local media coverage had died down, and we had hoped that his little publicity stunt was through.</p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Unfortunately, it seems as if Teague was winding down from one battle to wage a larger war.</p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Teague, through his position on the local Rotary Club board, amassed funding to design a new Commandments display that would be in compliance with the County Commission new policy. Deeming the courthouse a limited public forum, the commission decided to permit any display brought forth by a resident of Johnson County that has historical relevance to the county, state or country.</p>
<p class="MsoNormal">On Aug. 22, <a href="http://www.thetomahawk.com/Detail.php?Cat=HOMEPAGE&amp;ID=58182">the display was unveiled</a>. It consisted of the original Ten Commandments plaque, and accompanying plaques with the Declaration of Independence, the Bill of Rights, the Articles of the Constitution and a quote from the Supreme Court case <a href="http://caselaw.lp.findlaw.com/scripts/getcase.pl?court=US&amp;vol=465&amp;invol=668"><em>Lynch v. Donnelly</em></a> about the Constitution not mandating a "complete separation of church and state," was hung on the courthouse wall.</p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Teague and the "Ten Commandments Warriors," as his supporters call themselves, celebrated the unveiling with a prayer walk and a gathering on the lawn of the courthouse where local leaders spoke about, you guessed it, God. Mountain City local officials even went as far as to declare every fourth Saturday in August "Ten Commandments Day."</p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Teague's Web site extols his vision of inspiring "God fearing Americans to reclaim their beliefs of Almighty God." However, certainly not all of the residents of Johnson County are so moved.</p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Ralph Stewart, the complainant about the original courthouse display, worries that "the sham tactic of declaring a Free Speech area in a courthouse will lead to more Ten Commandment signs in other government buildings." While Stewart is considering <a href="http://www.rationalists.org/pubs/newsletters/jan09.htm">sponsoring a display</a> with a message that the "U.S. is not a Christian Nation," the process may not be so easy, and the backlash may be worse.</p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Stewart is already something of a social pariah in his community. The road to Stewart's house is festooned with 23 posters of the Ten Commandments, and his neighbor hauled an old school bus to Stewart's property line that now mars his view. Teague has even challenged Stewart's volunteer work on the local Humane Society board, indicating that his presence is "a black cloud over" the group.</p>
<p class="MsoNormal">While it seems that Teague and his warriors revert to scare tactics, we will keep a watchful eye on Mountain City, Tenn. Americans United attorneys are monitoring the situation. </p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Not that I'm much of an interior decorator (much to the dismay of my roommates, there are purple polka dots on my living room walls), but I think that the eloquent words of the framers, which have withstood the test of time through the endurance of our Constitution, are more appropriate adornment for the walls of the Johnson County Courthouse. </p>
</div></div><div class="tags clearfix"><div class="field-label">Issues:&nbsp;</div><div class="field-items"><span class="field-item"><a href="/issues/religious-mottos-pledges-and-resolutions">Religious Mottos, Pledges and Resolutions</a></span></div></div><div class="tags clearfix"><div class="field-label">Tags:&nbsp;</div><div class="field-items"><span class="field-item"><a href="/tags/religion-and-politics">Religion and politics</a></span>, <span class="field-item"><a href="/tags/teague">teague</a></span>, <span class="field-item"><a href="/tags/ten-commandaments">ten commandaments</a></span>, <span class="field-item"><a href="/tags/tennassee">tennassee</a></span></div></div>Thu, 10 Sep 2009 18:56:59 +0000Ilana Stern2248 at http://www.au.orghttp://www.au.org/blogs/wall-of-separation/attack-of-the-commandments-warriors-teague-league-seeks-to-scale-church#commentsA Tale Of Two Cities (And Diagrams): Ten Commandments Battles Roil Kentucky And North Dakotahttp://www.au.org/blogs/wall-of-separation/a-tale-of-two-cities-and-diagrams-ten-commandments-battles-roil-kentucky
<a href="/users/stern">Ilana Stern</a><div class="field field-name-field-blog-type field-type-taxonomy-term-reference field-label-hidden"><div class="field-items"><div class="field-item even"><a href="/blogs/wall-of-separation">Wall of Separation</a></div></div></div><div class="field field-name-field-callout field-type-text-long field-label-hidden"><div class="field-items"><div class="field-item even">Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg, opining that displays of the Ten Commandments on public property are patently unconstitutional wrote, &quot;These are not simple messages, like &#039;In God We Trust,&#039; on U.S. currency. The Ten Commandments are a powerful statement of the covenant God made with his people.&quot; </div></div></div><div class="field field-name-body field-type-text-with-summary field-label-hidden"><div class="prose"><p class="MsoNormal">My roommate is a freshly minted high school teacher. Sometimes, while sitting together watching reruns of "Doogie Howser, MD.," I help her plan civics lessons for her students. If it weren't the middle of the summer, I would insist that she craft a Venn Diagram with her kids to teach about the separation of church and state.</p>
<p class="MsoNormal">I don't know how many of you used Venn Diagrams to compare and contrast two similar concepts back in school, but they're of a pretty simple design. Two interlocking circles create the template, and the kids use the coinciding space to list similarities and the white space to list differences.</p>
<p><a href="http://blog.au.org/wp-content/uploads/2009/07/blank-venn.png"></a></p>
<p>In this particular example, Kentucky would be represented by the left circle, and North Dakota would be on the right. Both states are amidst legal battles over displays of the Ten Commandments on public courthouse property and both states are aware of standing law.</p>
<p class="MsoNormal">In 2005, the Supreme Court issued holdings in two different cases regarding displays of the Ten Commandments on public property: <a href="http://caselaw.lp.findlaw.com/scripts/getcase.pl?court=us&amp;vol=000&amp;invol=03-1500">Van Orden v. Perry</a>, and <a href="http://caselaw.lp.findlaw.com/cgi-bin/getcase.pl?court=US&amp;navby=case&amp;vol=000&amp;invol=03-1693">McCreary County v. ACLU</a>.</p>
<p class="MsoNormal">The decisions are a little confusing, but the bottom line is that government may not display the Ten Commandments for religious purposes. </p>
<p class="MsoNormal">According to Justice Stephen Breyer, displays are acceptable only if they serve a "mixed but primarily non-religious purpose," and are unconstitutional when they stem from a governmental effort to "substantially promote religion." Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg, opining that displays of the Ten Commandments on public property are patently unconstitutional wrote, "These are not simple messages, like 'In God We Trust,' on U.S. currency. The Ten Commandments are a powerful statement of the covenant God made with his people."</p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Today, the folks in McKee, Ky., seem to understand that it is rare, if ever, that the Ten Commandments would be understood as a secular symbol.</p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Eugene Phillips Jr., with the legal support of the American Civil Liberties Union, filed suit against the Jackson County Courthouse asking for an injunction requiring the courthouse to remove the displays. To avoid a bitter legal showdown, the <a href="http://www.richmondregister.com/statenews/local_story_204075553.html">Jackson County Courthouse has obliged</a>.</p>
<p class="MsoNormal">"We realized that a legal pursuit would be futile," explained Judge-Executive William O. Smith. Seeing as a number of counties in Kentucky have had similar battles and lost them (along with thousands of dollars in lawyer's fees), the county decided it would be best to remove the nine framed copies of the Ten Commandments throughout the courthouse that were erected 10 years ago.</p>
<p class="MsoNormal">"In terms of the county's decision (to remove the Commandments displays), we are certainly hopeful that this represents abandonment of any religious motivation by the county," ACLU attorney Bill Sharp said.</p>
<p class="MsoNormal">We hope so as well.</p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Unfortunately, government officials in Fargo, N.D., aren't so clever. The Red River Freethinkers has filed suit challenging government display of the Ten Commandments on the lawn outside of city hall. The <a href="http://www.startribune.com/lifestyle/faith/51483887.html?elr=KArks7PYDiaK7DUqyE5D7UiD3aPc:_Yyc:aUU">city's attorneys have filed a motion</a> in U.S. District Court asking for the suit to be thrown out due to a lack of standing, a legal concept that gives a citizen the right to sue.</p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Rather than trying to make this lawsuit go away by denying citizens the right to have their day in court, Fargo officials would do better to emulate Jackson County. Officials there moved the Ten Commandments to private property. People can still see them, but there's no more government connection. It's a perfect solution. </p>
<p class="MsoNormal">If I were to fill out my own Venn Diagram It would look a whole lot like this:</p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><a href="http://blog.au.org/wp-content/uploads/2009/07/venn21.png"></a> </p>
</div></div><div class="tags clearfix"><div class="field-label">Issues:&nbsp;</div><div class="field-items"><span class="field-item"><a href="/issues/religious-mottos-pledges-and-resolutions">Religious Mottos, Pledges and Resolutions</a></span></div></div><div class="tags clearfix"><div class="field-label">Tags:&nbsp;</div><div class="field-items"><span class="field-item"><a href="/tags/courts">In the Courts</a></span>, <span class="field-item"><a href="/tags/kentucky">kentucky</a></span>, <span class="field-item"><a href="/tags/north-dakota">north dakota</a></span>, <span class="field-item"><a href="/tags/ten-commandaments">ten commandaments</a></span></div></div>Fri, 24 Jul 2009 17:38:19 +0000Ilana Stern2244 at http://www.au.orghttp://www.au.org/blogs/wall-of-separation/a-tale-of-two-cities-and-diagrams-ten-commandments-battles-roil-kentucky#commentsMonumental Mistake: Officials In Okla. County Should Abide By Court Rulinghttp://www.au.org/blogs/wall-of-separation/monumental-mistake-officials-in-okla-county-should-abide-by-court-ruling
<a href="/about/people/rob-boston">Rob Boston</a><div class="field field-name-field-blog-type field-type-taxonomy-term-reference field-label-hidden"><div class="field-items"><div class="field-item even"><a href="/blogs/wall-of-separation">Wall of Separation</a></div></div></div><div class="field field-name-field-callout field-type-text-long field-label-hidden"><div class="field-items"><div class="field-item even">I doubt Saint Peter reads the 10th U.S. Circuit Court&#039;s opinions.</div></div></div><div class="field field-name-body field-type-text-with-summary field-label-hidden"><div class="prose"><p>I'm always surprised when people in the heartland of America – conservative folks who claim to love their country and its institutions – display contempt for the rule of law.</p>
<p>Consider the case of Haskell County, Okla. A federal appeals court <a href="http://www.ck10.uscourts.gov/opinions/06/06-7098.pdf">ruled yesterday</a> that an eight-foot-high Ten Commandments monument erected in front of the courthouse in 2004 must come down. The monument, the court declared, violates the separation of church and state.</p>
<p>In response, Haskell County Commissioner Mitch Worsham <a href="http://www.muskogeephoenix.com/statenews/local_story_159191337.html">told</a> the Associated Press, "Whoever was the judge in this, I feel sorry for him on Judgment Day. We're not going to take it down."</p>
<p>Now, it is true that the county can appeal. They can ask the entire 10th Circuit Court of Appeals to hear the case, a rarely granted procedure known as an <em>en banc</em> hearing. They can also ask the U.S. Supreme Court to hear the case.</p>
<p>But if those appeals fail, the county will be legally obligated to remove the monument. There's no need to destroy it. It can be moved to church property – where it should have been all along.</p>
<p>What if county officials refuse? That exact situation happened in Alabama in 2003. Roy Moore, chief justice of the Alabama Supreme Court, defied a federal court order and refused to remove a two-ton Ten Commandments monument that he had erected in the judicial building.</p>
<p>Eventually, federal marshals came in and took away the monument. Moore was suspended from office and put on trial by the Alabama Court of Judiciary. The Court voted unanimously to remove Moore from office, and his appeal also failed.</p>
<p>Moore later ran for governor and was handily defeated.</p>
<p>Worsham also seems confused about "whoever was the judge in this." Let me enlighten him.</p>
<p>Three federal judges sat on the appeals panel. Their names are Jerome A. Holmes (who wrote the opinion), Harris L. Hartz and Terrence L. O'Brien. All three were appointed by President George W. Bush, which is a good indication that they're not "liberal activists" determined to drive every vestige of religion out of public life. Perhaps they just want to uphold our constitutional values.</p>
<p>As for Judgment Day, I wouldn't worry if I were one of the judges. I doubt Saint Peter reads the 10th Circuit's opinions. In any case, the relevant question isn't how the ruling might play in Heaven but whether it accords with the Constitution. I think it fits quite nicely.</p>
<p>I understand that some people in Haskell County don't like this ruling. That's fine. They can speak out against it. They can rail against the Oklahoma ACLU for bringing the case and rant about Americans United and the mainstream religious leaders who filed amicus briefs supporting the lawsuit.</p>
<p>But when the time comes to move the monument, I hope they and their elected leaders will have enough sense to do the right thing and won't emulate Roy Moore.</p>
<p>We know the ending of that story. It's not a happy one.</p>
</div></div><div class="tags clearfix"><div class="field-label">Issues:&nbsp;</div><div class="field-items"><span class="field-item"><a href="/issues/religious-mottos-pledges-and-resolutions">Religious Mottos, Pledges and Resolutions</a></span></div></div><div class="tags clearfix"><div class="field-label">Tags:&nbsp;</div><div class="field-items"><span class="field-item"><a href="/tags/haskell-county">Haskell County</a></span>, <span class="field-item"><a href="/tags/courts">In the Courts</a></span>, <span class="field-item"><a href="/tags/mitch-worsham">Mitch Worsham</a></span>, <span class="field-item"><a href="/tags/oklahoma">Oklahoma</a></span>, <span class="field-item"><a href="/tags/roy-moore">Roy Moore</a></span>, <span class="field-item"><a href="/tags/ten-commandaments">ten commandaments</a></span></div></div>Tue, 09 Jun 2009 15:21:33 +0000Rob Boston1988 at http://www.au.orghttp://www.au.org/blogs/wall-of-separation/monumental-mistake-officials-in-okla-county-should-abide-by-court-ruling#commentsLost Weekend: Religious Right Seeks Two-Day Ten Commandments Confabhttp://www.au.org/blogs/wall-of-separation/lost-weekend-religious-right-seeks-two-day-ten-commandments-confab
<a href="/about/people/rob-boston">Rob Boston</a><div class="field field-name-field-blog-type field-type-taxonomy-term-reference field-label-hidden"><div class="field-items"><div class="field-item even"><a href="/blogs/wall-of-separation">Wall of Separation</a></div></div></div><div class="field field-name-field-callout field-type-text-long field-label-hidden"><div class="field-items"><div class="field-item even">The Ten Commandments are not the source of American law.</div></div></div><div class="field field-name-body field-type-text-with-summary field-label-hidden"><div class="prose"><p>Gas is inching up to $4 per gallon, rice has doubled in price, home foreclosures continue to spiral and more than 80 percent of Americans think the country is on the wrong track.</p>
<p>What's to be done? According to the Religious Right, it's time for a Ten Commandments Weekend!</p>
<p>Bill Murray, chairman, founder and possibly the only member of something called the Religious Freedom Coalition, is carping because House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid won't schedule a vote on a resolution authorizing a Ten Commandments Weekend that lauds the Decalogue as the source of our country's laws.</p>
<p>"But with Nancy Pelosi in charge of the House and Harry Reid in charge of the Senate, we can't have a voice," <a href="http://onenewsnow.com/Politics/Default.aspx?id=112790">Murray groused to One News Now</a>. "We can't get these out and open and celebrate the Ten Commandments."</p>
<p>Why not? If members of Murray's church want to celebrate the Commandments and erect them for all to see, no one's going to stop them. He could even stick them up in his back yard or make tiny versions into paperweights. Be creative. Knock yourself out, Bill.</p>
<p>But that's never enough for these Religious Right types. They seem to think that if the government doesn't get in on the act, it doesn't count. Will people really value the Commandments more because the House and Senate direct them to?</p>
<p>I can think of two reasons why Pelosi and Reid might be unwilling to spend much time on this matter. One, the resolution is dishonest. The Ten Commandments are not the source of American law. Our laws were informed by many sources – Roman, Byzantine, the Napoleonic Code, European Common Law, etc. Many of these systems of law had religious components, but those features long ago were discarded in America, where separation of church and state is the law of the land.</p>
<p>Thus, in this country, you can worship a "false" god, make graven images to your heart's content, ignore the Sabbath, be jealous of your neighbor's cool stuff, diss your mother and father and take the Lord's name in vain. The commandments that are reflected in our laws are common-sense things that all orderly societies ban: perjury, stealing, killing.</p>
<p>Secondly, Congress has probably shelved this resolution because it's a waste of time. There are more pressing things to deal with. Polls show Americans are worried about the economy, their jobs, gas prices, home mortgages and so on. The polls don't show people clamoring for a Ten Commandments Weekend.</p>
<p>The obsessions of the Religious Right don't make for good public policy. They are frequently parochial concerns that would either encourage government to impose a religious agenda or "symbolic" acts that have the effect of telling some Americans that they are little more than second-class citizens.</p>
<p>Leaders of Congress used to spend a lot of time tossing these bones to Murray and his ilk. They are no longer doing so, much to the benefit of our nation. Get over it, Bill.</p>
</div></div><div class="tags clearfix"><div class="field-label">Issues:&nbsp;</div><div class="field-items"><span class="field-item"><a href="/issues/fighting-religious-right">Fighting the Religious Right</a></span>, <span class="field-item"><a href="/issues/religious-mottos-pledges-and-resolutions">Religious Mottos, Pledges and Resolutions</a></span></div></div><div class="tags clearfix"><div class="field-label">Tags:&nbsp;</div><div class="field-items"><span class="field-item"><a href="/tags/pelosi">pelosi</a></span>, <span class="field-item"><a href="/tags/reid">reid</a></span>, <span class="field-item"><a href="/tags/ten-commandaments">ten commandaments</a></span></div></div>Tue, 13 May 2008 14:53:40 +0000Rob Boston1872 at http://www.au.orghttp://www.au.org/blogs/wall-of-separation/lost-weekend-religious-right-seeks-two-day-ten-commandments-confab#comments